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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816559">The Door to Fate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/idola/pseuds/idola'>idola</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu | The Legend of the Legendary Heroes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Denyuuden AU Week 2020, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:41:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/idola/pseuds/idola</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Eris couple dies when their oldest is twelve.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Door to Fate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>day 6 - canon divergent</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ending was anticlimactic at best.</p><p>After knowing for so long that he had to kill his parents to save his sisters, their parents fell ill. First their untouchable father, who likely caught it from the palace, and then his wife.</p><p>They passed away, leaving three healthy children in their wake.</p><p>It was nothing short of a miracle. The perfect set of dominoes lined up in the perfect way to fall and break the hold destiny had on his sisters.</p><p>Without their parents… no one would hurt them. No one would threaten their survival. Relux would be able to read them bedtime stories nightly, without needing to worry that he’d kill Ferris by keeping her up too late to make her happy, leaving her too exhausted to defend herself during her harsh training.</p><p>Of course Relux would have to train them in his parents’ place. But he wouldn’t kill them. He wouldn’t spend the day insulting them and wishing they’d been born as someone else. He’d spend the day glad that they existed, no matter how bad at training they were. Because they were bright. They were bright in this dark corner of the world, and that was valuable.</p><p>“……”</p><p>He wanted that to be the truth.</p><p>He wanted to live without worrying about his sisters dying.</p><p>Except… now he had no way to feed his baby sister. So he had to get help.</p><p>She was too young for solid food. She needed a mother’s milk. So she needed a mother. A new one.</p><p>But where was he supposed to find one? His mother was dead. She was unlikely to be able to give Iris anything now. Well… maybe for a bit, but… she’d died of illness. It was dangerous to bring Iris near her, even if the illness that was going around wasn’t usually fatal to children.</p><p>His best bet was probably to search for a nursing mother. If he could find one in town… then he should be able to convince her to come and feed Iris, right? He was a noble. He both looked and acted like one, according to his parents. Anyone should believe that he had the money to pay them for their services.</p><p>The only issue would be if he got sick trying to find someone. But… he’d probably be okay. Even if something did happen, Ferris was a smart girl. She’d go and find someone and ask for help. Someone would help her. If not the people, the king. They were Erises, after all… </p><p>He looked out in the noble quarter. The guards watched him the whole time, confused at why he was wandering around, but not wanting to ask, as they’d seen him come from inside of the Eris gates.</p><p>No luck. Not in the noble quarter, at least. Hardly anyone was out walking. Most used carriages to get around so they could look down on the people around them… so there wasn’t exactly much opportunity for asking favors.</p><p>Besides, Relux was quickly realizing that it was out of his nature. Out of his realm of expertise. He knew how to punch, kick, slash, slice, and kill. But as for favors? He was unsure of what might be the most convincing expression and tone to get others to do what he wanted them to do.</p><p>But even if he knew how to act when asking for a favor, he didn’t have anyone here to ask. So he left for the rest of town.</p><p>It went… not great.</p><p>Nobody really understood the urgency in his questions. He was only twelve. They thought he was pulling a prank or trying to rob them.</p><p>“…Do you have any children?” Relux asked another woman who was standing at the foot of a stall in the castle town.</p><p>“What’s it to you?”</p><p>“My mother died,” he said. “And I have an infant sister…”</p><p>Her face clouded over. But she looked him up and down. His bruised arms and cold eyes. Then she shook her head. “No. Nothing. Find some guards to ask or something.”</p><p>Was that really the best he could do? It was the only answer anyone had given him that wasn’t ‘scram’ or flat out ignoring him.</p><p>But if he took them to the guards, wouldn’t they take them to the castle? They’d certainly get help if they did that, but… wouldn’t it bring them back to the dark Eris house somehow? There was always that risk.</p><p>Still… the risk of Iris starving was far more real. It’d been hours and hours since her last meal. Even Relux was starting to get hungry. And if his larger stomach was empty, surely her tiny one was famished… </p><p>Relux ended up asking a guard in the noble’s quarter what to do. He’d have brought Iris if it were safe, but with the bouts of illness here and there… it didn’t seem safe.</p><p>The guard looked him over. It was one of the guards that’d been stationed there since morning. One who had watched Relux leave his home and wander around looking for help.</p><p>“You’re from the Eris family?”</p><p>Relux nodded.</p><p>“And your parents are dead?”</p><p>Another nod.</p><p>“…I see. I’ll bring you to the castle.”</p><p>So he said, but the guard first took him to other guards, who had Relux bring his sisters to them, then separated them. Relux was to meet the king. His sisters were to… to do something. Hopefully get help. </p><p>They promised that his sisters would stay safe with them, but… he couldn’t trust that easily. Nobody had their best interests at heart like he did.</p><p>They hadn’t seemed like they’d hurt them, but who really knew?</p><p>In the end, they forced Relux along to the castle. He could have taken care of most of them… but if he caused a scene, it could affect Iris’ ability to get food. So he decided to take a chance on it. The soldiers’ best interest was not in slaughtering his little sisters. It was in bringing them food and guiding them to safety.</p><p>Because they were Erises. Infinitely more useful alive than dead.</p><p>They brought Relux to stand before the king. He bowed. </p><p>“The Eris childrens’ parents died,” a guard accompanying him reported. “We confirmed the bodies ourselves.”</p><p>The king looked down at Relux. He wasn’t… quite the person Relux had expected to see, somehow. He seemed… off. Off, yes. He was off.</p><p>But he didn’t laugh. He just looked away, bored. Out the window. “So this brat will be my new guard?”</p><p>“Yes, Your Majesty.”</p><p>“Has he ever been to the door?”</p><p>Relux cocked his head. “The door, Your Majesty?”</p><p>The king sighed. “I see. So he’s not even done that…”</p><p>“……”</p><p>Then the king finally turned back to face them. “I will find a suitable wet nurse for your sister and house the lot of you.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“But in return, you will need to open the Eris door.”</p><p>“…The Eris door?”</p><p>“You will become my guard in your father’s place.”</p><p>“Understood,” Relux said. He didn’t know what exactly he was agreeing to. But by the sneer on the king’s face, he couldn’t imagine that it was anything good. But if it was something his father had done, maybe it would make him stronger? Maybe it would close the difference between them just a little?</p><p>Relux did want to get stronger. If he didn’t, how could he help his sisters? He closed his eyes to get away from the bright, almost nauseating stained glass patterns swirling around the room every time a cloud inched past the sun. If they only cared about what he did… perhaps his sisters would be safe?</p><p>“What will become of my sisters?” Relux asked. Of course he wouldn’t allow anything bad to come of them. But it was best to stay low for now. When powerless and stranded in unknown territory, one ought to avoid making enemies. </p><p>The king shrugged. “That depends. How pretty are they?”</p><p>Relux opened his eyes so fast that the dizzying colors almost made him lose balance. “I apologize. It seems that I’ve miscommunicated. I should not have asked. I should have only spoken. I will protect my sisters with all of my power. Should you respect that, I will enter your door and do as you say to protect you as well…”</p><p>“Oh? Your act didn’t last very long.”</p><p>Usually it was better. In fact… sometimes it wasn’t even an act.</p><p>Back when Iris was born. Back then, he wasn’t interested in her. He disliked her if anything. Because she was just a replacement for Ferris, his little sister Ferris, and he couldn’t let that happen… </p><p>“……”</p><p>But it didn’t take long for him to warm up to Iris. She was just a baby. She didn’t do anything wrong, and Ferris loved her so much. And so his world extended to include her too… and now he didn’t want it to get smaller again. Not now. Not ever.</p><p>He wanted to protect them. If the king couldn’t assure their protection, he’d take them and run. He’d take the wet nurse with them once Iris got one. That way… that way they could all be safe.</p><p>They’d leave Reylude if they had to. Leave Roland if they had to. The only thing he knew for a fact was that he wouldn’t let anyone violate them. They’d been through enough already. Relux could train them to protect themselves, and until they could do that, he’d protect them to the best of his ability.</p><p>“Don’t misunderstand,” the king said. “You’re only a child. I am your king. I am the one who decides what happens to you all from now on. It doesn’t mean anything to me if your sisters perish now… I only care if I have a bodyguard during my lifetime, and you’ll do fine for that.”</p><p>“……”</p><p>It was best to do what he wanted then, wasn’t it.</p><p>Relux had known that their king was selfish. Everyone knew it. So it wasn’t… too surprising. But it was a bit… what was the word? What was the feeling?</p><p>“I will do as you say,” Relux said. “But only as long as my sisters are safe.”</p><p>The king nodded his agreement. “Fine.” He turned to the guards. “Find rooms for these children. With any luck they’ll grow into fine guards.”</p><p>And that was the only thing they were good for, wasn’t it.</p><p>Relux was to relax in the castle for one night. The following morning, the king would take him to the Eris door. It was apparently back at Relux’s family home.</p><p>It’d make sense for him to just go home, but the king didn’t allow it. He said that he wanted all of the Eris children in the castle for a bit. Presumably so that he could make sure they didn’t try anything strange.</p><p>It probably wasn’t possible for him to run. He was allowed to visit Ferris and Iris, but not without supervision.</p><p>The fact that they expected him to bolt when he got the chance made him think that something horrible would happen. The door would make him more like his father. He understood that much. But that only meant making him strong, didn’t it?</p><p>It wasn’t… possible for it to mess with his mind was it? To make him want to hurt his sisters as his father had planned on hurting them?</p><p>The thought was disturbing. But it was just that: a thought. Basing his decisions on it would be rash.</p><p>At least Ferris and Iris wouldn’t need to do whatever it was that the king was having him do. Even if it hurt, he was the only one who would have to take it. He was alright with that.</p><p>Relux watched Ferris rock her baby sister in her bandaged arms. She never got to do this.</p><p>“Are you happy?” Relux asked.</p><p>“Happy?”</p><p>“…With our parents gone. With Iris in your arms.”</p><p>Ferris just stared blankly. Because she didn’t understand ‘happy.’ Not really. And she was tired, too.</p><p>“Never mind,” Relux said. He sat on the bed next to her, trying to ignore the soldiers lining the edges of the room.</p><p>“Are we going to live here now?” Ferris asked.</p><p>“Is that what you want to do?”</p><p>“No. I want to leave.”</p><p>“We can’t.”</p><p>“Will you sleep in here tonight?”</p><p>“I can’t.”</p><p>Ferris looked a little disappointed, in her blank way.</p><p>“…Ferris. Iris will always be your little sister. You should always protect her.”</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>Relux put a hand on her head. “Good. Even if something happens to me, you still have to protect her, okay?”</p><p>“Nothing will happen to you. You’re strong.”</p><p>“Haha. If you say so.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>---</p>
</div>He met Eris and the short-lived fantasy of a world where he could be happy with his sisters vanished like it’d never existed in the first place.<p>For just a moment, the vaguest of moments, he had gotten to entertain the idea of a world where he could be a part of his sisters’ happiness. Where they could all be happy.</p><p>Relux had called it a miracle, back when his parents died. He said that it was the perfect sequence of events that led to the perfect apex. But he hadn’t understood then.</p><p>It didn’t matter if his parents lived or died.</p><p>It didn’t matter if he lived in the castle or if he ran from it.</p><p>It was unavoidable. At least… for him. For him alone it was avoidable.</p><p>He was fated to come here and open this door. He was fated to stand before Eris and scream. He was fated to be toyed with by a man who came to see them.</p><p>It was unavoidable. But… at the very least… maybe it would do something good. Maybe his sisters would be safe, even if he was in here.</p><p>He’d like that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>lucile is no better than siorai. i really, really tried. i diverged as hard as i could but his personality is so stubborn that its impossible to bring him to a happy ending. but at least iris and ferris get 6 years less of major trauma this way?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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